Don Giovanni

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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Così Fan Tutte contains some of Mozart’s most sublime music. On one level, the opera is purely a social anecdote about young people falling in and out of love; but Mozart was a supreme sensualist and a great humanist, and invested the tale with all his understanding of humanity and young love. In this title, David Timson refutes the charge that Mozart squandered his genius on a work full of trivial nonsense and proves this "miraculous yet problematic" opera to be a great work of theatre. To listen to this thought-provoking examination of the characters and the music is both thoroughly enriching and great fun.

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The Magic Flute almost defines a masterpiece, because it can be enjoyed on every level. It is a superb fairy story, complete with dragons, demons, a handsome prince, and a lovely maiden seriously in need of rescue; it is a political satire, social commentary, and psychological drama; it is full of tunes from the playful to the heart-stopping, jolly songs, and deeply spiritual outpourings. It is, in short, "Mozart" - and there is no greater compliment than that.

2 out of 5 stars

The sublime and the ridiculous

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Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro

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Thomson Smillie

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Performance

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Story

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Many opera-lovers would name
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1 out of 5 stars

Not the audio that it promised.

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Fidelio

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Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
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Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
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Fidelio is a work like no other. Beethoven’s only opera is about the joy of married love - by a man who never knew that pleasure. It is about heroism by a man who was often mean and petty in his human relations; it is about freedom by a man who was a prisoner of his own deafness; and ultimately it is about joy by a man who experienced precious little of it.

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The Barber of Seville

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Thomson Smillie

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Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
11

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Story

4 out of 5 stars
10

The Barber of Seville is Rossini’s most popular opera. Its effervescent overture (written originally for another work!) presents a perfect platform for the amusing plot in which the barber, Figaro, stage-manages a romance between Count Almaviva and Rosina, and puts to flight the old suitor, Dr Bartolo. "Largo al Factotum" is one of the most popular arias in opera - nearly 200 years after its first performance it is still one of the great show-stoppers.

Carmen

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Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
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Performance

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Carmen is among the most popular operas for all the obvious reasons: great characters, a gripping story, and fabulous music. But what sets it on a pinnacle is an amazing combination of three factors: a sizzling Gipsy heroine (one of the most psychologically complex and compelling characters in all theatre), great atmosphere (Spain, hot sun, the bull-ring), and the prodigality of melodic invention - one great tune after another, at least a dozen of which are the staples of Madison Avenue and the animated cartoon.

5 out of 5 stars

Passion, power, and truth

By
Zaubermond
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Mozart: Così Fan Tutte

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Così Fan Tutte contains some of Mozart’s most sublime music. On one level, the opera is purely a social anecdote about young people falling in and out of love; but Mozart was a supreme sensualist and a great humanist, and invested the tale with all his understanding of humanity and young love. In this title, David Timson refutes the charge that Mozart squandered his genius on a work full of trivial nonsense and proves this "miraculous yet problematic" opera to be a great work of theatre. To listen to this thought-provoking examination of the characters and the music is both thoroughly enriching and great fun.

5 out of 5 stars

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By
EmilyK
on
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Mozart: The Magic Flute

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 10 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
16

Performance

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16

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
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The Magic Flute almost defines a masterpiece, because it can be enjoyed on every level. It is a superb fairy story, complete with dragons, demons, a handsome prince, and a lovely maiden seriously in need of rescue; it is a political satire, social commentary, and psychological drama; it is full of tunes from the playful to the heart-stopping, jolly songs, and deeply spiritual outpourings. It is, in short, "Mozart" - and there is no greater compliment than that.

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Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
7

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
6

Story

4 out of 5 stars
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Many opera-lovers would name
The Marriage of Figaro as their favorite opera. It appeals to the most intellectual listener, but also to music-lovers seeking great melodies and ensembles (while it remains accessible through its fascinating plot and memorable characters) and to those seeking only entertainment. One of three operas by Mozart to libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte, it represents one of the pinnacles not just of operatic but of human achievement.

1 out of 5 stars

Not the audio that it promised.

By
Chelsea
on
01-22-16

Fidelio

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
6

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
6

Story

4 out of 5 stars
6

Fidelio is a work like no other. Beethoven’s only opera is about the joy of married love - by a man who never knew that pleasure. It is about heroism by a man who was often mean and petty in his human relations; it is about freedom by a man who was a prisoner of his own deafness; and ultimately it is about joy by a man who experienced precious little of it.

5 out of 5 stars

Beethoven's only opera in all its glory

By
Zaubermond
on
04-20-13

The Barber of Seville

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
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Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
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Story

4 out of 5 stars
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The Barber of Seville is Rossini’s most popular opera. Its effervescent overture (written originally for another work!) presents a perfect platform for the amusing plot in which the barber, Figaro, stage-manages a romance between Count Almaviva and Rosina, and puts to flight the old suitor, Dr Bartolo. "Largo al Factotum" is one of the most popular arias in opera - nearly 200 years after its first performance it is still one of the great show-stoppers.

Carmen

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
12

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
12

Story

4 out of 5 stars
11

Carmen is among the most popular operas for all the obvious reasons: great characters, a gripping story, and fabulous music. But what sets it on a pinnacle is an amazing combination of three factors: a sizzling Gipsy heroine (one of the most psychologically complex and compelling characters in all theatre), great atmosphere (Spain, hot sun, the bull-ring), and the prodigality of melodic invention - one great tune after another, at least a dozen of which are the staples of Madison Avenue and the animated cartoon.

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The Flying Dutchman

Opera Explained

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 7 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
8

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
8

Story

4 out of 5 stars
8

The Flying Dutchman is the perfect opera with which to approach the operatic mountain that is Richard Wagner. It is short, has a great story (the legend of the Dutch captain doomed to sail forever unless redeemed through love), and the striking score has many pre-echoes of Wagner's later great music dramas. It contains wonderful tunes in its arias, ensembles, and big choruses, and the orchestral writing - from the gale that blows out of the Overture to the final theme of "Redemption through Love" - will "blow you away".

4 out of 5 stars

An introduction to Wagner

By
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Orfeo: Opera Explained

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 17 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
2

Story

4 out of 5 stars
2

Monteverdi’s Orfeo, first performed in 1607, generates a special excitement because it is the first unquestioned masterpiece of opera. Notable for its precise orchestration and powerful drama it was a groundbreaking work. It concerns the legend of Orpheus, the demigod whose music had the power to conquer the forces of Hell and to bring his wife back, briefly, to life. The extracts used in this introduction are from Naxos’ full recording; it uses authentic period instruments, which serve to evoke the early Baroque period of the opera’s composition.

Puccini: Turandot

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
15

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Puccini’s swansong has a claim to being the last great popular opera. Its melodies have enchanted audiences since its posthumous premiere in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. It involves a chilling story of love and cruelty, an intriguing cast of characters against the exotic backdrop of Imperial China, magnificent choruses and ensembles, and dazzling orchestration in an exotic score that comprises a string of remarkable arias - among which the great tenor aria "Nessun dorma" is the jewel. It is more than Puccini’s last opera: It is the last word, in every sense, on Italian opera.

5 out of 5 stars

Fire and ice, hope and blood

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Die Fledermaus

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
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Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
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Performance

4 out of 5 stars
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Story

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Die Fledermaus is one of the few operatic works to which the phrase "never a dull moment" can be truthfully applied. From the explosive opening of the famous overture - reminiscent of a volley of champagne corks - through the surging energy of the "Fledermaus Waltz" and the many comic numbers, of which the accelerando trio is the finest, up to such huge concerted numbers as the "Duidu" finale to Act II, this is an operetta which almost incarnates nostalgia. Thomson Smillie and David Timson infuse their exploration of Die Fledermaus with as much life as the operetta itself.

5 out of 5 stars

Revenge of the bat

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Cavalleria Rusticana

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 16 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
7

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
6

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
6

Cavalleria rusticana is the short opera that has all the elements of a grand opera compressed into a single highly dramatic time span. The story of love, lust, blood-feud, and betrayal played out against the pageantry of the Easter celebrations in a Sicilian village delivers an emotional wallop because of the youthful vigor and musical wealth of its great score which includes the glorious "Easter Hymn" and the deeply moving "Intermezzo". Mascagni was never to repeat his youthful success but this brief work is enough to ensure his immortality.

5 out of 5 stars

Enjoy the opera as it was meant to be

By
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Conductor's Guide to Debussy's Prelude, Nocturnes, & La Mer

By:
Gerard Schwarz

Narrated by:
Gerard Schwarz

Length: 1 hr and 12 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
20

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
14

Debussy was the first great composer of the twentieth century. He departed from previous musical practice to a greater extent than any previous composer. Though he completed his masterpieces
Prelude to Afternoon of a Faun and the triptych
Nocturnes before the turn of the century, it was not until 1902 that Debussy received widespread recognition.

4 out of 5 stars

Engaging but uneven volume levels

By
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on
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Verdi: Rigoletto

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 19 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Story

4 out of 5 stars
10

Rigoletto is simply wonderful entertainment with superb music. It is also much more - a daring (for its time) attack on aristocratic privilege, a tender love story, and an impassioned appeal on behalf of the disadvantaged, all set to music of such wealth and beauty that, with its sister operas
La traviata and
Il trovatore, it has defined Italian opera for 150 years. Overcoming initial trouble with the censors, Verdi's
Rigoletto was a smash hit at its premiere and has not been out of the repertoire since. It’s not hard to see why.

5 out of 5 stars

Fun intro (or recap) of the opera

By
EmilyK
on
05-24-18

Puccini: La Bohème

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
16

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
14

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
13

La Bohème is one of the three operas - the others are
Carmen and
Aida - believed to be the most popular ever written. In the case of
La Bohème the reason is that it virtually defines the term "romantic". The poignant story of Mimì and Rodolfo is told in music of such tender beauty, allied, as always, to Puccini’s intuition of what works in the theatre. The result is an opera that readily appeals to our emotions and senses.

Leoncavallo: Pagliacci

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 1 min

Original Recording

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
4

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
4

Story

4 out of 5 stars
4

Pagliacci may be the most completely compelling short opera in the repertory and owes much of its impact to a brilliant story based, it is said, on true life and told through the device of a play-within-a-play. The action is set in Calabria in the deep south of Italy where the jealousies and illicit passions of a troupe of strolling actors precisely intersect with the play they are performing - to both touching and tragic effect.

Verdi: Falstaff

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Original Recording

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
3

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
3

Story

3.5 out of 5 stars
3

Verdi’s Falstaff repays careful study with real pleasure. It is opera’s happiest irony that the great Italian master should cap a career - distinguished for its blood-and-thunder tragic masterpieces - with the greatest comic opera in the Italian repertory. The genius of Shakespeare is harnessed (in a miracle of compression) by master-librettist Boito to give the 80-year-old Verdi a superb libretto, on which he lavished more wonderful tunes than most composers manage in a lifetime.

Verdi: Aida

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 3 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
9

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
9

Story

4 out of 5 stars
9

Ancient Egypt and the war with Ethiopia is the setting for Verdi’s grandest opera. It is the story of the love between Rhadames, the Egyptian general, and Aida, an Ethiopian slave, and the jealousy of Amneris, daughter of the King of Egypt. It was written in 1871 to a commission from the Khedive of Egypt to inaugurate the new opera house in Cairo.
Aida generally is considered one of the most spectacular of Verdi’s operas.

Pelleas et Melisande

By:
Thomson Smillie

Narrated by:
David Timson

Length: 1 hr and 18 mins

Original Recording

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
10

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
11

Dating from the last decade of the 19th century,
Pelléas et Mélisande points the way into the 20th century. The score is hauntingly beautiful, but there is more to the work than shifting panels of elusive, impressionistic sound. Debussy retains the text of Maeterlinck’s play, and the linguistic subtleties of the French text are matched perfectly by the musical detail. Taking a little time to explore the romantic, elusive world of this opera is particularly rewarding.

Editorial Reviews

Thomson Smillie’s series of Opera Explained audiobooks on individual operatic works is the perfect introduction for the would-be opera fan. Each title in the series runs about an hour, features plenty of recorded clips, and is narrated with pluck and good humor by David Timson. Your opera education starts here.

"These stunning bars of D-minor...mark the beginning of one of opera’s strangest and most powerful journeys." So begins Smillie’s treatment of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. This audiobook explains why this lushly told story of the last day in the life of a libertine has become the 10th most performed opera of all time and was greeted to rapturous ovations upon its 1787 premiere in Prague. Also interesting are the biographical details of Mozart’s brief, brilliant life.

Publisher's Summary

Don Giovanni has long been regarded as Mozart’s supreme theatrical achievement. The subject seems unpromising - the last day in the life of the notorious womanizer Don Juan - but the skill of the librettist allied to the genius of Mozart at the very peak of his powers has created a work which is not only highly entertaining but reflects an incredible understanding of the human condition.

Very short introductions to specific operas!

I have recently developed a passion for opera that has found me attending an opera I know little about beforehand. A colleague in London got tickets for Don Giovanni and I decided my first visit to Covent Garden demanded a little investment in preparation ahead of time. This series from Naxos is just perfect to get you ready to attend an opera with a little bit of historical and musical context to make the experience richer.

The recording is only about 1 hour and 20 minutes long. The narrator is good, he provides not only background for the specific opera in question but also for other operas by the same composer. Clips of the music are part of the 'explanation' - one of the nicest feature of audiobooks vs. reading a regular text.

So, you get a summary of the story, some musical interludes and some historical and musical context - helpful to allow you to focus more attention on the music and the staging once you get to the opera.

These books make me enjoy the opera.

The combination of Thomson Smillie and narration of David Timson is magical.The book explains the opera with just enough history and background to make it intriguing ,the excerpts are beautiful enough to explain the opera and then you'd love going back to watch or listen to that masterpiece .